Ministry of Education Strengthens Protection of Language and Literature in Lampung
Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Language Development and Guidance Agency (Badan Bahasa) under the Ministry of Education and Culture has partnered with Lampung Provincial Government to strengthen oversight of Indonesian language use and protect regional languages and literature.
This initiative represents a concrete step and mutual commitment from both parties in developing, nurturing, and protecting language and literature, as well as strengthening supervision of Indonesian language use in Lampung Province.
“We know that the nation’s struggle for independence began with the sovereignty of the Indonesian language. Indonesian has united the nation through the Youth Pledge of 1928, which declares ‘We, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, uphold the language of unity, Indonesian’,” said Head of the Language Development and Guidance Agency Hafidz Muksin in a written statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
He conveyed that Indonesian has become the nation’s unifying language and has proven instrumental in achieving Indonesian sovereignty through the milestone of the Youth Pledge in 1928.
Hafidz hoped that the establishment and strengthening of the Indonesian Language Supervision Team would encourage regional government commitment to prioritising Indonesian in the public sphere and in official document formatting.
Hafidz added that the protection of regional languages and literature must continue to be undertaken by regional governments, communities, and families.
According to him, regional languages as cultural heritage possessing moral values, character, and civilisation must be passed on to younger generations so that regional languages do not become extinct in the future.
On the same occasion, Sulfakar, Assistant to the General Administration Division of Lampung Provincial Secretary, emphasised that globalisation, advances in information technology, and increasingly open cultural flows present significant challenges to the sustainability of Indonesian and regional languages.
“The increasingly dominant use of foreign languages in public spaces, business, and educational environments can displace the function of Indonesian as a national language if not managed properly,” he said.
He also stressed that strengthening Indonesian language use and protecting regional languages and literature must become a collective movement involving government, educational institutions, business, and society.